Jannik Sinner will take a break following his career-best result in Melbourne
As was expected, the Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner will not play at the ATP 250 event in Marseille next week. The Italian should have been the top seed ahead of Hubert Hurkacz, but he opted to rest following his career-best result, missing Marseille for the second straight year.
The organizers will try to replace Sinner with Alexander Zverev, offering a wild card to the Australian Open semi-finalist. Sinner claimed his first Major crown in Melbourne at 22, outplaying three top-10 rivals en route to tennis glory.
Jannik was among the favorites at Melbourne Park, proving his status with five straight-sets triumphs, including wins over Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.
Sinner faced the ultimate obstacle in the semi-final, with a ten-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic standing on the other side of the net.
Jannik shined in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 victory in three hours and 22 minutes at Rod Laver Arena, booking a spot in his first Major final. Novak entered the clash with 33 straight Australian Open wins. He played miles below that level in the opening two sets, struggling on serve and return and falling behind in 73 minutes.
The Serb recovered a bit in the third set, saving a match point in the tie break and prolonging his chances. However, Jannik made a fresh start in the fourth set, earning one break and sealing the deal in style.
Jannik Sinner will not compete in Marseille next week.
The young gun stayed focused from start to finish, producing one good hold after another and keeping the pressure on the other side.
Djokovic sprayed over 50 unforced errors, never finding the desired rhythm and getting broken five times. Sinner tamed his strokes nicely and outplayed Djokovic in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, becoming the first player with the Melbourne Park win over Novak after the quarter-final stage.
Jannik played against Daniil Medvedev in the final and produced a marvelous comeback in a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win in three hours and 45 minutes, celebrating his first Major title at 22. Nothing separated them, with both players delivering four breaks.
The Italian clinched his return games in the pivotal moments, celebrating in his first Major final. The more experienced player built a massive advantage and reached deuce at 4-4 in the third set, moving six points away from the title.
However, Sinner stayed focused and launched his comeback with a break at 5-4. The Italian grabbed another late return game at 5-4 in the fourth set, previously defending a break point at 3-3. The final set saw five comfortable holds, with Sinner moving 3-2 in front with a forehand winner.
The Italian secured a break in the sixth game with a forehand crosscourt winner, forging the advantage and moving closer to the finish line. Jannik extended the lead with a service winner in game seven and served for the title at 5-3.
The young gun earned a match point with a forced error and seized it with a forehand winner, becoming a Major champion and writing Italian tennis history. Sinner should return to action in Rotterdam between February 12-18.